Anatomy of a Wilderness Fire Lookout Tower Interior - Idaho Panhandle

[Bo Zarts]

1. Cabinet
2. Drone case
3. Books & Idaho Magazine
4. Fly swatter
5. Bear identification guide
6. Notes to myself
7. Dust brush
8. USFS BK hand-held radio
9. Names of previous lookout employees
10. All-purpose bungee cord
11. Hanger
12. Hat hanger (bungee cord)
13. Mini blinds
14. Sleeping bag
15. Bunk bed with storage drawers
16. Vietnam-era poncho liner
17. Camera backpack
18. Laptop computer on rollable cart
19. All-purpose bungee cord
20. Attic access hatch
21. Battery-powered lantern
22. Art deco hanging light (inop)
23. Battery-powered clock
24. Cell booster antenna
25. Screened window (one of two)
26. Carbon monoxide detector (one of two)
27. Tripod-mounted binoculars
28. Shirts hanging on bungee cords
29. Pots & pans hanging
30. Screened window
31. Misc outdoor wear
32. Notes to myself
33. 5-gallon wash water container
34. Wash basin
35. 12-volt DC refrigerator
36. 700-watt microwave oven (powered by 1500 watt-hour power station)
37. Propane range
38. Osborne Fire-Finder
39. Camera bag
40. Basic tools
41. Kitchen cart
42. Two 12-volt automotive batteries for refrigerator (solar charged)
43. Office swivel chair
44. Fire plotting table with forest maps
45. Water cubies - 5 gallons/40 pounds
46. 36” bench (under table)
47. Trash can
48. Fire restriction handouts (for visitors)
49. Leather work gloves (essential for splinter protection on stair rails)
50. Hand sanitizer

©2023 Bo Zarts Studio

[captain queeg]

1. Do they supply the generator/power station?

[Bo Zarts]

2. I have my own 1500 watt-hour Goal Zero power station ..

But the USFS supplied me with a 3.7 kW generator and fuel.

[captain queeg]

3. Nice. Good to keep computer, phone, and some LED lights charged.

[progressoid]

4. Where's the toilet!?!?

Never mind, I think I know.

[erronis]

7. You just hold it until you get back to civilization....

I bet it is somewhat mystical taking a whiz while staring out at all the glories of the universe.

[Bo Zarts]

9. Do you remember the 50-yard dash in high school PE?

Well, the outhouse is 60 yards away. A very long 60 yards, at times.

[progressoid]

11. Oof.

That's a little farther than I expected you to say.

I'd be tempted to find other options at times when nature is calling and it's an emergency call!

[Bo Zarts]

15. One ALWAYS has other "options."

You don’t want to descend those steps at midnight, with wolves howling and mountain lions screaming, in a raging lightning storm, to make that 60-yard dash!

[flashman13]

5. Very cool tour. Thanks

No such thing as too many bungee cords.

[ShazzieB]

6. Fascinating!

I'm going to open this up on the computer so I can check out all the details on the big screen. (I'm on my tablet right now, which is what I use for most of my internet activity.)

I have really enjoyed learning about the fire lookout tower and seeing your photos of the beautiful views from up there. Thankd for sharing all of this with us.

[Pope on a Rope]

8. Does it ever get hot up there?

Do you have AC?

[Bo Zarts]

10. Very seldom gets hot ..

I have seldom seen any lookout above 80-degrees F. But the off-grid power accomodations are far short of what is needed to run AC. I have used a little low current draw DC fan in the past, and I might find one for next season.

[3Hotdogs]

12. When is your season over?

[Bo Zarts]

14. They pulled the plug on my fire season on September 2.

High elevation fire lookouts in the Pacific Northwest (Idaho in particular) have very short seasons because of snow. I couldn't get in until June 30 because the roads were blocked with snow drifts (in 2022 it was July 17). And the snow can fly in early September in the high country (in 2020 the first significant snow on my 10,000 foot peak was August 31!).

Author/poet Jack Kerouac was famously a fire lookout at Desolation Peak in the Northern Cascades of Washington in 1956. The total length of his fire season was only 63 days. I'm now 75 years old, so two months in the wilderness is plenty enough for me!

[Callalily]

13. Very compact. And it looks like you've

got everything you need to perform your job.

A big thank you for your lessons about lookout towers. Your "charts" are very informative.

[Bundbuster]

16. That is quite the lens used on this shot.

What might it be?

[Bo Zarts]

17. TTArtisan 11mm

Shooting with a Fujifilm GFX-100S in "SHOOT WITHOUT LENS" manual mode.